Railroad-crossing gate



June 18, 1929. PRATH RAILROAD cRossIug GATE Filed April 25, 1928Patented June 18, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT oi-"Pics;

tronn H. 23mm, or BROOKLYN, new YORK.

RAILROAD-CROSSING GATE.

- Application filed August 25, 1928. I Serial No. 272,633.

This invention relates to railroad crossing gates and more particularlyto mechanisms for automatically raising and lowering such ates.

With the large number of automobiles and similar vehicles now upon thehighways, it becomes increasingly important that proper means be takento prevent accidents at railroad crossings. Of course, upon wellfrequented highways fiagmen are stationed and proper safety measures aretaken; but 1n outlying districts where the highways are now used to agreat extent, no safeguards are provided at crossings, mainly becausethe necessity for a crossing gate is not considered sufficient towarrant the salary of an attendant.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a mechanism forautomatically raising and lowering a crossing gate without theassistance of an attendant.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a mechanism foroperating a crossing gate, which mechanism is controlled by the passinglocomotive and train.

In attaining these desired objects, I provide a weighted lever whichnormally holds the crossing gate in a raised position but when alocomotive passes, a spring controlled winding device is put intooperation to counteract the weight andallow the gate to be lowered. Whenthe last car of the train passes the device, the spring controlledwinding device is released to enable the weight to again raise the gate.

These and other objects are attained by the novel construction,combination and arrangement of parts, hereinafter described and shown inthe accompanying drawing, constituting a material part of thisdisclosure, and in which Figure 1 is a perspective view showing themanner in which the device is positioned near railroad tracks.

Fi ure 2 is a sideview showing details of the c evice.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the actuating mechanism.

Referring to the drawings, the device is shown to comprise a casing 4 inwhich is mounted a shaft having a gear 6 fixed thereto. The gear 6 hasintegral therewith a pair of cars 7 through which pass the rod 8 havingattached to one end thereof a weight 9. The other end of rod 8 isconnected to a crossing gate, not shown, and the weight 9 is sufficientto norm ally raise the gate.

Gear 6 meshes with a smaller gear 10 mounted on a shaft 12 rotatablyjournalled in the walls of the casing. Also fixed to shaft 12 andpositioned outside of the casing, is a sprocket 11, over whichpasses achain 11, the latter also passingpover a second sprocket 13 rotatablymounted on a shaft 14 positioned to the rear of the casing 4. The shaft14 is j ournalled in the walls of a smaller casing and has a head 16 atone end, and is surrounded at that end by a compression spring 15 whichabuts the sprocket 13 and the head 16 to normally maintain the clutch 17in engagement with clutch 18, the latter being fixed to shaft '14.Clutch 17 is integral with the sprocket 13 and of course rotatestherewith.

Also mounted on shaft 14 within the casing is a pinion 24-in-engagementwitha large gear 25, the latter having a pin which is fixed to thespring 27 to wind the spring when the gear 27 is rotated clockwise, asshown in Figure 2. The gear 25 is loosely mounted on a shaft 19journalled in the walls 20 and the gear carries a pawl 33 pressed by thespring 34 into engagement with a ratchet wheel 28 fixed to the shaft 19.Also fixed to the shaft 19 and positioned outside of the casing is apinion 26 adapted to be engaged by a rack,

not shown, which is carried by the locomotive of a passing train.

The shaft 13 also has fixed thereto a ratchet 23 which is prevented fromrotation clockwise part, not shown, on the last car of a train, is

a leaf spring 29 to Whichis attached a cord 30, the latter encircling apost 31 andhaving its other end attached to a lever 32 which is mountednear the base of a wall 20 and adapted to engage a clutch 17 to shiftthe latter from engagement with clutch 18.

In operation, When the locomotive of a train reaches the device, a rack,not shown, on a part of a locomotive engages the pinion 26 to rotate thelatter counter clockwise, which movement causes gear 25 to be rotatedcounter-clockwise and wind the spring 27, the spring being preventedfrom unwinding by the pawl 33 engaging ratchet 28. The gear 25 engagespinion 24 to rotate the pinion and consequently the shaft 14 in aclockwise direction. Reverse rotation of shaft 14 is prevented i byspring pawl 22 engaging ratchet .23. Rotation of shaft 14 causessprocket 13, and consequently sprocket 11 to rotate to cause gears and 6to be rotated to raise the weight 9to allow the gate to fall.

When the last car of the train reaches the devicefla projection part,not shown, on the last car, depresses the spring 29 to pull on the cord30 to cause the clutch shifter 32 to disen= gage clutches 17 and 18and'thus allow the wcight'to raise the gate. v

From the above description, it will be seen that I have provided asimplemechanicaldevice which will automatically control the raisingandlowering of crossinggates without the-necesslty of an attendant.

The foregomg disclosure 1s to be regarded as descriptive andillustrative only and not i as restrictive or limitative of theinvention, of

' structed, including many 1nodifications,withmeans adapted to beengaged by a projection which obviously an embodiment may be connectedvwith said gear and adapted to be actu-- ate d bya part on a locomotiveto cause the gear to be rotated to'raise the weight, and

on the last car of a train to render said first mentioned meansinefiective so that the gate may be raised bythe weight,

- V 35 2. A device for raising and lowering gates at railroad crossingscomprising a wheel, a I

levermounted on the wheel, one end of the lever'being connected with thegate, a weight mounted on the'other end of the lever to normally hold agate in a raised position, a sprocket and chain system associated withsaid wheel, a clutch for connecting said 'system with a gear train, apinion connected with said gear train and adapted to be rotated by aparton a passing locomotive,'and means positioned near said device andadapted to be engaged by, a part on the last car of a passing train todisengage said vclutch to render'said sprocket andchain systemineffective. I V

3. A device for automatically controlling a railroad crossing gate by apassing train comprising a weighted lever adapted to normally hold agate in a raised position, means actuated by a part on a passinglocomotive to counteract the force of the weight to allow the gate to belowered, and means engageable by a part on the last car of a traintorender said first mentioned means inelfective so that the weight mayagain raise the gate;

In witness whereof I have affixed my signature.

. JOHN. H. PRATH.

